


Shall We Go?

by MurasakiNoAo



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-10 05:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10430610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurasakiNoAo/pseuds/MurasakiNoAo
Summary: Sometimes it's nice to to take a break from the worries of life. It turns out Dennis is a good person for that.((entertainmentshipping request from an anon on tumblr))





	

**Author's Note:**

> aand i have finished this (later than i wanted but ah well)! i'm not sure how much i like it, but i hope it fulfills the request you had, anon. 
> 
> this probably won't be post canon anymore after the final episode airs this sunday. and seeing how i have it as the bracelet girls being, well, gone here, i do hope that this becomes some sort of canon divergence. haha we'll see i guess
> 
> no warnings for this one, so please enjoy

“Yuuya!”

He finds a smile easily curling on his face at the sight of his friends greeting him as he visits XYZ for the first time in a couple of months. 

After the incident with Zarc had been taken care of, Yuuya left it up to himself to survey the rebuilding of all four dimensions. Not only had the work been a good way to keep in touch with the many, many people he had met as his time as a Lancer, but it also helped in quelling the coiling feeling of guilt deep down in his gut. 

He knows that the destruction of Heartland City isn’t really his fault, nor the still present if not dulled tensions in Synchro and the ruins of Academia in Fusion, yet he still can’t shake the chains of remorse that bring his mood down at odd times of the day. He’s lost track of how many times his friends and family have told him that he needs to let go and move on to the future.

So he smiles when he sees Kaito and Grace and Gloria and Edo and Dennis standing a few meters from Reiji’s Dimension Gate, awaiting for his return in a way that seems like they never moved from when he left. Because now he didn’t have to let go, not just yet. 

When he approaches, Kaito is the first to intercept him with a firm grip of his hand. Edo follows with a pat on his back, then Grace almost tackles him over with the force of her sudden hug, Gloria behind her, giving him a similar greeting though noticeably shorter and lighter.

Then Dennis sneaks in after. He smiles warmly before surprising him with his own hug, arms wrapped loosely around his waist. Yuuya reciprocates it after only a brief moment of shock, his smile growing fonder by the minute.

If they hold each other for longer than necessary, no one comments on it. 

“Is it just you this time?” Kaito asks once everyone has had their turn with him. 

Yuuya shakes his head. “Reiji is coming, too. He just needed to finish up some things back in Standard. Should be here before night.”

“No Kurosaki?” asks Edo, glancing behind Yuuya to the gate as if the said duelist would walk out at any moment if he just stared hard enough.

Again, Yuuya shakes his head. “No, he’s still in Fusion. If he would give me a clear answer as to why he stays there instead of coming back here, then I would tell you, but you know how he can be…” He gives a strained smile. Though no one says it, they all guess the same reason. Fusion was the last place Kurosaki’s sister was in, after all.

The stiff silence that comes after is broken when Dennis steps forward with his usual confident smirk. “Well now that you’re here, Yuuya, I can show you all that’s changed for the better since you last came.”

Yuuya notices the use of ‘I’ instead of ‘we’ and gives a curious glance to the others in the group. Grace gives her own signature smile with twinkling eyes and says, “yes that’s a great idea! Why don’t you two go get started then? We’ll just be… ah-”

“Waiting at the usual place,” Gloria supplies for her and she nods vigorously. Of course by ‘the usual place’ she means the old Academia Headquarters in XYZ that’s now used as more of a temporary shelter for all those still without homes. Kaito and Edo agree and before Yuuya can protest or ask why they seem to intent on leaving so quickly when they’ve only just reunited, all four have already turned tails and begun walking away.

Before they disappear around the corner, however, Grace spins on her feet to give the remaining Yuuya and Dennis a not so subtle wink. She leaves with her sister giggling so loud that they can hear her even after they can no longer see her.

It isn’t until Dennis clears his throat to gain his attention does Yuuya realize that they are alone for the first time in a very, very long time. Suddenly sweating, he sharply angles his body towards Dennis in a motion so quick he almost gets whiplash. “Yes?” It comes out more a squeak then an actual word.

“Shall we go?” he asks, and it’s kind of sweet how his tone soothes silently that it’s all right if Yuuya wants to rejoin the others. It’s a comforting thing to hear and it calms the nerves Yuuya apparently only gets when in these kind of social situations and not when he’s being watched live in a packed stadium. 

He lets himself bathe in the warmth of Dennis’ pale blue eyes and smiles. “Yes,” and now it’s a word of confirmation, clear with a hint of excitement. 

“All right then,” is all the warning Yuuya gets before Dennis is grabbing his hand and  _ tugging.  _

They go at a pace that is definitely too fast to properly examine any sights and the progress that has been made, but Yuuya finds that he doesn’t care. From the blurs of the buildings he does get to see, it’s obvious to come to the conclusion that things are improving. The one thing that stands out is a small house, freshly rebuilt and ready for the owners to move back in by nightfall. Hope and something akin to pride well up in his chest and comes out in a breathy laugh, Dennis looking back long enough to give his own faint chuckle. 

Once they become too exhausted to continue further, they slow to a snail’s pace, hands still clasped and smiles as big as ever. Even though he pants heavily, Yuuya feels lighter than he has in a while, all his worries about the four dimensions and how they will recover having been left in the dust behind them. They eventually have to sit down, plopping down on a nearby bench.

As he catches his breath, Yuuya really takes in the sight of Heartland City for the first time since arriving. Most of the rubble has now been cleared away and he can see the volunteer construction workers milling around a small shop. Though it is a priority that the first buildings to be worked on be houses and apartment, some are starting to move onto businesses. The ruins look less like ruins and more like the makings of a city it must have once been. Yuuya’s smile turns wistful as he wonders if he’ll ever get to see the true beauty of the city and the return of normal life. 

“Hey.” Dennis nudges his shoulder and points to something down the street. “They’re starting to give out lunches. Do you want me to get one for you?”

The answer is immediate and comes in the form of a loud growl resonating from Yuuya’s stomach. He flushes, but doesn’t deny his obvious hunger. “Yes, please.” 

Yuuya thinks he’s a bit envious as he watches Dennis jog to one of the buildings that still hands out free food on the daily. The other has already recovered from their run while Yuuya’s heart is still racing in his chest. Eyes still on Dennis, he takes a deep breath to calm his heart rate, but notices that it still jumps at a high frequency.

Strange.

By the time Dennis gets back, Yuuya is starved. He digs into the meal with fever, Dennis doing the same, and the two fall into a comfortable, pleasant quiet. Yuuya is halfway done when Dennis speaks, “there’s a place I want to show you after we’re done.”

“Oh?” He takes a bite of rice. “And what place is that?”

Dennis smirks and, even though he sees it coming, Yuuya’s face still reddens at the sultry wink thrown his way. “It’s a secret.”

“Secret, huh,” he murmurs, mostly to himself. He supposes that shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Dennis has always been partial towards surprises. And judging by the glint in his eyes, Yuuya can guess that this surprise will be a good one. The corner of his mouth ticks upward. “Can’t wait.”

Just for a slight tease, Yuuya purposefully eats the rest of his lunch slower than he had before, watching with mirth the way Dennis taps his foot impatiently as he waits. He doesn’t give in and complain, however, so Yuuya deals his mercy and stuffs the rest of his food in his mouth because he does, after all, want to see what this surprise is.

When they get up, Dennis takes his hand again, but has it in a loose grip that Yuuya could easily pull away from if he wanted. He doesn’t, however, pull away. Instead, he squeezes Dennis’ fingers with his own and makes sure their grasp is firm and warm, if not a bit sweaty. They just amble along this time, taking the time to absorb the city around them despite Dennis’ earlier eagerness. Yuuya almost wishes they could stay in their own bubble, hands laced together in the soft sunshine of noon. 

Just when Yuuya thinks his feet will get sore from all the walking they are doing, Dennis points up ahead. “Almost there,” he reassures, his fingers running over the skin of Yuuya’s hand with a ghost of a touch.

It’s an apartment building, Yuuya notices as they approach, freshly rebuilt with some people he assumes to be a couple of the occupants outside of it, adding some finishing touches to the bricks in order to make it more homely looking. Dennis gives them a friendly wave before he ushers Yuuya inside, not giving him enough time to ask why they were there when it was obvious the workers needed room to, well, work. At his slight hesitance, Dennis pauses for a half second to shine a smile that says, “I’ll explain later, just please go with it for now.”

And so, since he apparently can’t refuse Dennis at all, Yuuya walks up the flight of stairs, letting himself be guided to one door in particular. They walk into the room without words. Dennis hangs back by the doorway as Yuuya observes his surroundings.

It’s not a bad apartment room, at least when considering the state of practically every other apartment in XYZ. The walls are pale - in desperate need of a paint job - and still show signs of wear and tear with the occasional crack that reminds him this room used to be just rubble among more rubble. There’s nothing more in the room than a bed and a table with a single chair next to it.

“What do you think…?” Dennis asks.

Yuuya takes one more glance over everything before answering, “it needs work, but considering what it probably used to be like, I’d say it’s a definite improvement.” He turns to face Dennis fully, his mouth threatening to slide downwards, some part of him worrying that they were invading someone else’s private space. “Are you going to tell me why we’re looking at this particular room now?”

That earns him a small laugh, though there isn’t much humor in it. Dennis takes a few steps to stand by the bed frame, his hand caressing it with his eyes unfocused. “Back before Academia sent its army here, I was assigned to find one of Ray’s incarnates; Ruri. This room… it was where I stayed while I was” - another laugh, more crude this time - “completing my  _ mission _ .”

Oh.

He doesn’t say anything to that, partly because he already knows that Dennis had been in XYZ far before its actual destruction as had been told to him, and partly because anything he could say would have already been said to him by others time after time. Yuuya knows how frustrating that could be very well, so he lets Dennis continue at his own pace.

“When they told me that it was rebuilt and that I could move back in, I refused. I told them that it should go to some family who actually needed and deserved it, not to me, who helped ruin their lives.” Dennis finally, finally looks at Yuuya and his heart squeezes painfully at the broken smile that is plastered on his face. “They kept insisting that I take it. No one would take it from me. Isn’t that funny? How nice everyone is to me? Even though… I…”

Yuuya moves then, coming around the bed to take the hand that rests on the frame. He tugs and makes Dennis fall into a sitting position next to Yuuya on the sheets. Still, he doesn’t say anything, just encourages the other boy to come closer, to touch their legs together, to let him rest his head against his shoulder, orange hair tickling his neck. When Yuuya senses an apology come bubbling up into Dennis’ throat, he holds his hand firmer and nuzzles his cheek against his soft hair. 

They stay that way, in Dennis’ apartment, silent and blended together, for almost an hour.

 

*

 

Reiji is already at the old Academia Headquarters with the others when they arrive. The rest of the day is spent more seriously with actual visits to places of high importance, Yuuya taking his own mental notes on the progress (which is hard, considering the fact that Dennis stays within a foot radius of him at all times and sometimes brushes against him in a way that they both know isn’t accidental). 

Once they’ve had dinner and they begin to disperse to their own living arrangements, Reiji gives him a look that makes him pause. Yuuya raises a brow in a nonverbal, “what?”

“Did you have fun on your date?”

“My wha-” Yuuya stops himself as the words register, nearly choking on his own spit. He’s fortunate that Dennis had already left and isn’t there to witness him as his mind rings alarm bells. 

However, he’s not fortunate enough, as it seems Grace is the only one still within earshot. She starts cackling like a maniac as soon as she hears the exchange. From the corner of his eyes, Yuuya sees Gloria turn to ask her what’s wrong, but the only reply she gets is more laughing. 

He sputters out some excuse to leave and exits as fast as he possibly can. Once he reaches the room set aside for him for his temporary stay, Yuuya puts his face in his hands with a long groan. 

“We weren’t… that wasn’t…” he mutters to himself, but the words are weak and a sudden thought reaches him.

They had been holding hands, ate lunch together, toured the city by themselves, held hands some more… Hell, Yuuya had been inside Dennis’  _ apartment _ and they had cuddled on his bed.

Had they really… been on a date?

Yuuya considers Dennis’ warm smile, his sparkling eyes, the way he held his hand like he couldn’t imagine something anything else he would rather be doing, and how hard Yuuya’s heart had been beating long after their run had ended. He puts the word ‘dating’ between them, and it fits like a puzzle piece that had always been meant to be there. 

Flopping onto his bed, he buries his face into the pillow, letting a smile and blush bloom onto his face like the beginnings of spring. He wouldn’t mind, really, if they had another one of those in the future.

That is to say, another date. 

**Author's Note:**

> i may have a thing for angsty dennis and not-as-angsty-but-still-angsty yuuya.
> 
> thank you to the anon who requested this and i hope you liked it! if you want your own request, don't hesitate to go into my inbox on tumblr @prettyboyvoid. just give me a ship/character/whatever and i'll try my best to write something good for you!
> 
> until next time


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